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User blog:ShermanTheMythran/Saving LEGO Universe: The Wiki Server
Now, I know there have been many rumors and stories and stories and rumors going around on how the wiki is going to try to save the game by making a private server. I'm here to put these rumors to rest. They are true. To an extent, anyway... Now, many here think (or have thought) that we're going to change it so you can play it offline, and that will be the future of the game: same old stuff, minus the internet and other players. The good news is, this isn't true. What we're going to try to do is run it on a server of our own. And the even better part is, we're going to do our best to release new content. We have quite a few willing to help. And we'll moderate it. Pessimists and realists alike will say, "HA! Fat chance, it isn't possible." And I can't say I can blame you for thinking that. BUT, I tend to think of things realistically too, and just look like I'm being optimistic. I've thought this through, and it can be done. Then, for the three-letter question that changed the way everything was looked at: how? Scratch the surface, and it's costly, difficult, consuming, and illegal. Dig deeper and, well, that's what you're here for. Our first step is to tackle the biggest problem: the legality of the operation. We can't just take the franchise. Our solution? We acquire it from LEGO. We have several ideas on how to do this. One idea is to have them just hand the franchise, with all of the files, info, unfinished projects, etc. to us. Now, that seems like a dream come true to us, but what the studs is in it for them!? They get to appease the fans that will then know that the game is merely changing operators, and they get this: the right to take the game back at any time they see fit. That way, we run the game for a bit, on lower costs, using LEGO's name and "brick and knob configuration" etc. etc. by permission of the company, and they get to take the franchise back at any time they see fit, in case they want to re-develop it *coughwithbettermarketingcough*. Another idea is to raise money to purchase the franchise from them, with permission rights to all LEGO content in it, and then the whole thing is in our hands. But we'd need money. And lots and lots of it. Now, the hunch is that the franchise will cost less since it's going down the tubes. Now, we, as a 2 million strong community, can raise quite a bit of dough for the operation. We could advertise, etc. We're looking at somewhere around $200,000, estimated, but could be easily wrong. This is the most difficult part of the operation. How would it be collected? The answer is surprisingly, and thankfully, quite simple: Paypal. After the franchise is ours, we would need to establish moderation immediately. Players would be voted into candidacy, then made to take tests for moderator qualities and values. Only a select few will become moderators. Information would have to be copied from their server to ours. It is not known whether existing minifigures will survive or have to be recreated, but chances are low. Why? Players will no longer sign in with their LEGO IDs. They will sign into the game with Wikia accounts. What changes will be made? A few ideas are more minifigures, and the ability to play from the same account on multiple computers. The EULA (End User License Agreement) and ToS (Terms of Service) will have to be COMPLETELY modified, and all references to LEGO will have to have a "used by permission" stamp. One thing that many fear will no longer happen: content releases. The truth? They may be right. Note the key word "may". HappyFlower, the world builder program hasn't been open to LUPs in ages. After the agreement with LEGO, we will have the in-game world development tool at our disposal. We will need Havok for graphics, FMOD for sound, etc. Most of this we can download free of cost. Speaking of costs... What will pay for the game? You guys. :P Everyone who wants an account will have to play, and I've got a few ideas on how a few simple scripts can keep track of that. The good news is, depending on how many users we get, it shouldn't cost more than $1/month. Really. Well, I hope all of this info has been enough for you to digest, until I get the next blog post up about... upcoming content! maestro35 out!